Silicon photonics can be defined as the utilization of silicon-based materials for the generation (electrical-to optical conversion), guide, control, and detect (optical-to electrical conversion) of light to communicate information over distance. The most advanced extension of this concept is to have a comprehensive set of optical and electronic functions available to the designer as monolithically integrated building blocks upon a single silicon substrate.
Fiber-optic communication is the process of transporting data at high speeds on a glass fiber using light. Fiber optic communication is well established today due to the great capacity and reliability it provides. However, the technology has suffered from a reputation as an expensive solution. This view is based in large part on the high cost of the hardware components. These components are typically fabricated using exotic materials that are expensive to manufacture. In addition, these components tend to be specialized and require complex steps to assemble and package. These limitations prompted Intel to research the construction of fiber-optic components from other materials, such as silicon. The vision of silicon photonics arose from the research performed in this area. Its overarching goal is to develop high-volume, low-cost optical components using standard CMOS processing ? the same manufacturing process used for microprocessors and semiconductor devices. Silicon presents a unique material for this research because the techniques for processing it are well understood and it demonstrates certain desirable behaviors. For example, while silicon is opaque in the visible spectrum, it is transparent at the infrared wavelengths used in optical transmission, hence it can guide light. Moreover, manufacturing silicon components in high volume to the specifications needed by optical communications is comparatively inexpensive. Silicon?s key drawback is that it can not emit laser light, and so the lasers that drive optical communications have been made of more exotic materials such as indium phosphide. However, silicon can be used to manipulate the light emitted by inexpensive lasers so as to provide light that has characteristics similar to more-expensive devices. This is just one way in which silicon can lower the cost of photonics.
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